


Anxiety and the Beast

by gravityphan



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Beauty and the Beast AU, Connor as Adam, Evan as Belle, M/M, although Jared would work as well, it’s pretty true to the movies tho, still working things out, this is a bit of a work in progress i’m sorry, unless i decide to throw in other things ;)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-13 20:13:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13578120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gravityphan/pseuds/gravityphan
Summary: Kind, Gorgeous, Caring.Anxious.Handsome, Wealthy, Powerful.Impassioned.In a tale that everyone knows, Evan and Prince Connor are considered outcasts to the world. One because he has severe anxiety, the other because he has been transformed into a monster.When their path’s cross is how a story of true love and breaking out of metaphorical and physical shells is written.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey there, mikey here!! i’ve been wanting to start writing again for the longest time, and then this gorgeous idea popped into my head!! although it is a little hard with a limited amount of characters...
> 
> either way, i’m still figuring things out! so if there are long periods of no updates, that’s why. but i do want to finish this one!! thank you all for your support!!! <3

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a tall castle. Although he had everything he could possibly imagine, he was incredibly spoiled and selfish, and arrogant. On a bitter winter’s night, there was a knock from the door, a poor old beggar was on the front steps of the palace, seeking shelter from the storm. In exchange for hospitality, they offered a single pink rose. The prince was revolted by the appearance of the human at his doorstep, and turned them away, snickering at the measly gift. They stood taller, warning the prince that appearances were deceiving, and to beware of inner beauty masked by horror. He laughed in their face, hand about to slam the door closed, before the beggar reached out and froze the prince’s arm in place. Terrified, the poor boy watched as they transformed into a gorgeous enchanter, the rose in their palm glistening and hovering over their glowing skin. The prince begged for mercy, suddenly happy to offer them space. How the tables had turned, for the enchanter had seen his true nature: a cold hearted shell of a man, heart empty of any compassion. They transfigured him into an appearance that matched the prince’s personality, one of that of a hideous beast. Mortified of his new form, the beast isolated himself in his castle, only two gifts from the enchanter and his servants, who had been turned to household appliances to keep him company: A magic mirror, which was the only connection he had to the outside world, and the rose they had offered him, enchanted to bloom until the beast came of age. Were one to capture his heart, and love him for who he truly was, only then would he return to his human self. If not, he would wither away as a repulsive beast for all time. As days turned to weeks, weeks to years, the beast became spiteful, full of rage. After all,

Who could possibly ever learn to love a beast?


	2. Bonjour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan wants more than this provential life.

The morning light was dim on the small French village where our story starts. The sun was resting just beneath the rolling hillsides of the fields beyond this small corner of the world, the sky behind it painted pastel colours of pink, yellow, orange, and blue. Although it was quite early, the village was already bustling with daily life, vendors and patrons exchanging goods for currency, people doing regular tasks and chores needed for survival. Horse drawn carts whizzed past each other, villagers barely giving others a second glance. There was too much to do, so much to accomplish, all in the short hours of daylight.

This was no different for Evan Hansen, the son of one of the greatest inventors in all of France. He was shorter than the average male, but what he lacked in height was made up in muscle. He was far from skinny, with strong arms and large thighs. His bust was wide, and he had a slightly chubby face. None of this bothered him, of course, because it was just how he was built. There wasn’t much he could do about it but bear the snickers and ridicule that came from the other children his age. He was glad to be leaving school the following year to pursue a career of botany in Paris. 

Evan, bright eyed and bushy tailed, despite the day’s probability of being quite average, hoisted open the door to his small cottage and inhaled, taking in the scent of his small village. It was cozy, compact, but small enough that everyone knew everyone. And everyone knew how anxious Evan Hansen was.

Although they didn’t have a word for it, Evan was very sensitive to things. Stammered and sometimes even stuttered when he spoke to people, no matter how hard he tried to be normal. He would often break down, run away, or something of the like, occasionally in public, which gave him a bad reputation. He was a good kid, but not all good kids were problem-free. He was considered a freak, an outcast, but the village tolerated him, because it wasn’t like they could kick a single mother and her son out of the place they’d been living in for sixteen years, just because the son was peculiar and different.

Evan walked out into the busy street, avoiding everyone he could. His slightly hunched back and risen shoulders gave indication to his anxious demeanour, thumb rubbing on the wooden handle of his basket. People ignored him, had learned to avoid him, so that he didn’t freak out on them. There were a few people that liked to make him upset intentionally, but other than that, most people steered clear of the blond haired boy. 

Every day, at least to Evan, was the same as the last. Do your chores, do the laundry, find a new plant or botany book, spend time with Mother, sleep, repeat. Every single day felt like a carbon copy to Evan, and boy was he sick of it. He wanted to find himself, find people who accepted him for who he was, find love. But it was very difficult when he lived in such a small rural town in the middle of nowhere, unable to live up to the potential his mom had always told him he had inside. “You just have to wait for the right moment,” she’d always said. Evan was waiting for his moment. It just couldn’t come soon enough.

People yelled their ‘hello’s to each other, all ignoring Evan. Some thought it was a shame that he was one of the most handsome boys in the village, saying that he was wasted potential. Others said that he should be institutionalised because of how ‘unstable’ he was. Both statements had made their way back to Evan, of course, being quiet did have its perks, and both worried him so. He wanted to blend in, be normal. He wanted to find his place, but didn’t want stick out like a sore thumb. Those that were special, different, weird, were shamed. He prayed he didn’t end up like that, more so than he already had. 

Evan had found that the best way to bear his god-awful town was to pull himself away from reality. Most of the time, he was hardly there. Keep to yourself, keep quiet, and keep your personality hidden, was the way he’d learned to survive and minimise the amount of harassment he’d received. 

As he opened the door to the bookstore, his sweetness and charm resumed, back straightening ever so slightly, and smiling warmly. “Good morning, uh, Mr. O'Reilly?” He called into the store, eyes already scanning the shelves. This and his home were really the only place he could feel like himself, without repercussions. A tall man poked his head over the shelves, his bald head shiny against the morning sun. “Evan! I would say it’s a surprise to see you, but you do seem to be my only customer…”

Evan chuckled, smiling softly at the man. “I came to return the book I borrowed,” he said quietly, stepping further into the room. The air smelled like old parchment and cedar wood. In other words, Evan’s favourite smell in the world. Mr. O’Reilly looked at Evan incredulously. “Already? But you borrowed it only yesterday!” He said with an amused glint in his eye. Evan grinned from ear to ear. “I know, but I, I couldn’t put it down! It was just so, um, interesting!”

He walked past the storekeeper and put the book back in it’s home. “Do you have anything new?” Evan had read every single book in the collection, from instruction manuals to children’s fairy tales. “Not since yesterday,” Mr. O’Reilly laughed, standing behind the counter. Evan’s fingers ran along the spines, looking for one book in particular. He pulled back as he found it, pulling it free from it’s comrades. O’Reilly recognised the cover almost immediately. “That one again? You’ve already read it twice!” He exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at Evan. He paid the older man no mind, smiling cheerily. “Oh, I know, but um, it’s my favourite! Action, adventure, romance… with a touch of flora, of course.”

Mr. O’Reilly eyed Evan’s dreamy expression as he clutched the book in his hand, and smiled to himself. “If you like it so much, then why don’t you keep it?” He said, and Evan looked at him in shock. “Oh, no, I couldn’t.” He tried to put it down on the counter to borrow, but the other pressed the book back into his hands. “I insist,” he said, beaming warmly. Evan’s expression lit up like a firework, lips seeming to be permanently stuck in a smile. “Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!” He exclaimed, before waving at O’Reilly and exiting the bookstore. He kept the book close to his heart, seeming to radiating happiness.

Too engrossed by his book, Evan didn’t notice the town’s residents staring at him and whispering. They had always thought Evan was strange, but always particularly when he had his nose buried in the same book on three different instances. Evan sat down on the edge of the fountain in the town square, ignoring the bustling city life as he rested his head on the stone base holding the water in. He held the book above his face with one hand, and pet a sheep with the other, presumably belonging to the farmer. This book was by far his favorite: a charming prince meets a pair of friends; shy boy and a strong girl, at a masquerade and they become closer than any romance could ever be, although Evan did like to daydream of being a part of that narrative.

 

Across town, two young women stood in a clearing, one tall and curvy with long blonde hair, the other with short brown hair and rather short and fluffy. The taller, Madeline Gaston, stood straight with her back arched, fingers pressed against wood and wire, pulling a bow as far as it could stretch. The other was standing with an apple on her head, praying to whatever higher being existed that Madeline wouldn’t hit her. That woman’s name was Penny LeFou, who had been childhood friends with Madeline all her life. However, the relationship seemed more one sided than reciprocated. Madeline narrowed her eyes and aimed for the crisp apple, releasing the wire from her fingertips and allowing the arrow attached to it to soar towards Penny, sinking into the apple and nailing it to the tree with a satisfying chunk. It missed Penny’s head by mere centimeters, a few of her hairs entangled in the arrow-apple-tree sandwich. However, she was used to this.

“Wow! You didn’t miss a shot, Madame Gaston!” Penny yelled, exuberant. She wasn’t exactly allowed to call Madeline by her first name anymore, after all, she was the daughter of a war hero, and was considered the prized possession of the villages: everyone’s darling little Madeline, who wasn’t so little anymore. “You’re the greatest archer in the whole world!” She ran up to Madeline, who was fiddling with her bow a little bit, a gift from her father for her seventeenth birthday. “I am aware…” she said, somewhere between ignoring Penny and too enwrapped in her thoughts to care about praise at the moment. “Huh,” Penny replied, smiling faintly. “No one, not even a ferocious beast, stands a chance against you… and no boy for that matter!” and it was true. There hasn’t been a single animal that Madeline hasn’t been able to mount on the wall of her living room, and no boy that she hasn’t been able to force to drop to his knees, begging for affection. All except one, of course. Her head snapped up at the mention of boys. “‘Tis true, Penelope, and I have my sights set on the one that doesn’t seem to care for me,” she said, in regards to Evan, of all people. Penny looked worried. “You mean Evan Hansen? But he’s-”

“The luckiest boy alive, to have someone like me infatuated with him! And I will marry him,” Madeline said with a smirk, absolutely confident she would be able to woo Evan in due time. “But he’s-” a freak? Strange? Mentally insane? Madeline would never know what Penny was about to say, because she cut her off before she got a chance to finish her sentence. This was customary for the two, although Penny did seem to understand more about Evan’s personality than Madeline did. “The most handsome boy in all of Paris,” she said, dreamily. “I know, but Ma-”

“And that makes him the best,” Madeline barely knew what Evan was like, only that he was physically attractive. “Don’t I deserve the best?” Penny glanced between Evan and Madeline, unsure of how to explain to her how odd he was. “Well, yes, of course you do, but I mean-” The two started to walk back into the town, Madeline’s presence confident and collected, meanwhile Penny was slightly anxious and worried. “Ever since I laid eyes on that boy, I’ve wanted him with my entire heart. And I will do everything in my power to make sure he becomes my groom, until my dying breath.”

The two walked past a clump of suitors, sent by Madeline's father, to try and seduce her and pull her away from her hopeless fantasies of marrying Evan. Although none of them believed they could actually accomplish such a feat, they were being paid, and they could still try. They were all holding out flowers for her, as well as various gifts of chocolate and jewelry. Madeline collected the flowers and stalked towards Evan, who was still too captivated by his book to notice people yelling at each other, nor the woman that was somehow already planning out the rest of his life for him, although he had none of the same intentions. And she was only a few steps away from revealing her master plan to someone who wanted no part of it.

**Author's Note:**

> yo my dudes, wanna see my art for this AU? have lots of random reblogs on your tumblr feed? send me things? ask me questions?  
> then my tumblr url is what you need!  
> ((i’m sorry this sounds weird it was the only way i could figure out how to explain my blog without it being awkward.))  
> anyways, if you wanna come find me, my username is sincerely-mikey.tumblr.com!! hope to meet lots of y’all!!


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